Roll of the Dice
by panda-tiney
Summary: Set 4 years after Ranma and Akane's "elopement". Akane decides to move back to Nerima and gets a call telling her an old friend is being accused of murder. She decides to take matters into her own hands, but not without the help of a supposed ex-elopee


Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, Rumiko Takahashi and anyone she chooses to sell the rights to (which won't be me because I don't have near enough money for that) does.  
  
A/N: Okay! I love new fics; I hope you like it! I have a tendency to write a load of fanfics and not finish them after a bunch of chapters except for one special one, but I'm feeling good about this one! I want to do something special with the song quotes at the beginning of the chapters but I don't know what, any ideas? Thanks for reading and if you want to contact me you can at tiney_panda@hotmail.com  
  
***  
  
You can't hurry love, oh you'll just have to wait  
  
She said love don't come easy, it's a game of give and take  
  
You can't hurry love, oh you'll just have to wait  
  
Just trust in the good times, no matter how long it takes  
  
Now break  
  
--"You Can't Hurry Love" by Phil Collins  
  
***  
  
Akane heard the quivering voice on the other end of the line, astonished at who spoke. She brushed the book off her couch and lay as flat as she could, draping her legs over the side, "Let me get this straight, you need my help for . . . ?"  
  
"I didn't do what I'm being accused of . . . and you're the only one that still lives here," the voice on the other end of the line told her, seeming to drift off at the end. Sure, people had moved, houses sold, newbies moved in, but she couldn't have been the only person left.  
  
"Shampoo's still here," she joked. The phone crackled as someone on the other end stifled a laugh through a plugged nose.  
  
"Well, if I ever need someone to cough up a hair ball I'll be sure to ring her up," the voice sarcastically joked. A sniffle concluded the person's statement. Akane chuckled.  
  
"Well, you've got me there. Except . . . I moved, you know that best, and I didn't come back until a few weeks ago, how'd you know I was back, let alone my new number?" Akane had been wondering since the moment she had picked up the phone.  
  
"Listen, I wouldn't have phoned if you weren't a last resort . . . it's just, I'm really scared, okay? Are you happy now?" The voice echoed bitterly. The person on the other end of this line never would have admitted feelings like these years ago, yet now she readily gave them up.  
  
"I'm sorry, but why don't you explain one more time, just for my sake," Akane pleaded in her most motherly voice. She bit her nail and took off half the cuticle when the line began to crackle again.  
  
"My boss, a real creep, he's dead. I didn't do it but they think I did, the police that is. They took me away and my son's still at home with this old lady in my building, her name is Nana. I don't have a lawyer or anyone for that matter, I have no one."  
  
"Where are you?" Akane asked hastily.  
  
"Nerima Police Station. I don't mean to be rude but, could ya hurry the hell up. A lady three times the size of me is staring at me like I'm lunch," the nervous voice carried on, "please."  
  
"Don't worry," at that, Akane heard a loud laugh, "everything's gonna be fine, alright?"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"I'll be there within the hour, okay?"  
  
"Oh, and Akane," the voice hurriedly muttered, "thanks."  
  
"What are friends for?"  
  
At that the line went dead and Akane slammed down the phone. She ran into her room, threw open her closet, and grabbed the first shirt she saw, pulling it over the bra she had been wearing and grabbed the pants off the floor, pulling them over her hips with much effort.  
  
Her purse was in her room . . . somewhere. She leafed through two piles of clothes until she got to a pile of pajamas which had a green protruding object. She lifted it out and checked for her keys and cell phone. They were both in there with her wallet. She decided to forget her jacket and ran out the door.  
  
***  
  
The station buzzed with excitement, or maybe it was the blinding fluorescent lights. Akane waited in the small room they had pushed her into and she got up to stretch when the door opened. Three people came in, two guards and one old friend.  
  
"Akane!" The girl's eye's lit up at the sight of her.. She ran over and hugged Akane, stunning her beyond belief.  
  
"Hey, listen, I phoned my dad and he's got this lawyer set up so, I guess there's nothing to do but wait," she wanted to get that over with so they could catch up, and partly because she wanted to get the hell out of there.  
  
The girl Akane had always seen as such a strong, sort of role model like figure stood in front of her, broken. Her hair, which had always been tucked behind her, was set free and frizzing like crazy. Her clothes were orange, a very unbecoming color but she managed to pull it off. She dragged her feet and wiped her eyes harshly with her starched sleeve, which only made them sting all the more.  
  
"Akane, I can't do this much more and I just got here," she whimpered, sitting down at the table in the middle of the room.  
  
"Ukyo, you're going to be fine," She lied, "now let's talk about your son, where do you live?"  
  
"Umm . . . down on Furimi, apartment number thirty-six. He's there with Nana and she promised to calm him and put him to sleep; but she's leaving for Kyoto in a day or two so I don't know what's going to happen next," she seemed to say in one swift breath.  
  
Akane took a long look at her. She seemed to still radiate in her surroundings. She had grown in all the right places and not grown in all the right places which made Akane jealous for about five seconds while she realized this really wasn't the time.  
  
"You . . . had a son," Akane muttered, she had known about baby but not the sex.  
  
"Yep, all by myself!" She seemed to be very proud of that.  
  
"Wha?"  
  
"I mean I raised him by myself, you dummy!" She laughed, it was great to see her laugh, the first sign of the way she had been, a distant memory now.  
  
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," She mumbled, her face turning red. Ukyo smiled for a second and then fell back to her original, distant expression.  
  
"So, how's Ranma," she asked, trying to lighten the mood, weirdly enough, "I heard you both left town?"  
  
"Both left town? Yes. Together? Not on your life," Akane almost instantly noticed her mistake and quickly reacted with a meek, "sorry."  
  
"It's alright, I mean, if we can't joke about it who can, right? So, what happened to you and Ranma anyway? Last I remember you two were getting pretty close, and suddenly everyone in town and screaming "elopement'", what was the deal," she asked, trying to ignore the large problems in front of her.  
  
"Well, it's a long story," Akane trailed off.  
  
Ukyo laughed, "Sugar, does it look like I'm goin' anywhere?"  
  
"Oddly enough," the guard to her left muttered as he lifted her up and started to escort her out.  
  
"Oh please, don't take her away just yet, five more minutes please!" Akane begged.  
  
The guards tossed their heads and led her out but not before Ukyo managed to grimace and wave good bye. Akane waved back as the guard took her away and the door shut with a loud bang that shook Akane through. She felt herself fall back a bit and then rock to a halt.  
  
As she walked out of the building she had so much on her mind. What did she call her boss "a real creep" for? And why did she not bring up the boy's father? That was one thing Akane did want to know, everything else didn't really hit her yet.  
  
She leafed through her purse for her phone while turning a corner and bumped into what seemed like a wall but turned out to be another person, a male person, in a very flashy suit.  
  
"Sorry," she muttered and picked up her things. She moved swiftly to get out of there; she didn't have time for small talk right now. That person had smelled really good and for some reason made her crave sushi. She decided to phone her father later, he would be out on his morning walk right now anyway, and a detour to "Pan's" for "the best sushi in the world!" sounded real good!  
  
As Akane continued walking she felt a presence behind her. As she swiftly turned around she noticed a clear path behind her, not even the trees moved. She shrugged off the feeling and kept walking at a slightly faster pace than she had before. Again, she felt someone behind her. This time she pretended to be interested in a passing car and turn to look at it. As she moved her head she noticed something jump out of view from the corner of her eye. This just confirmed her suspicions; she turned around fully, her face burning red and got ready for a fight.  
  
Akane cleared her throat louder and then started, "Listen weirdo, if you don't come out now I'll find you and beat you down so hard!"  
  
"Weirdo? What's that, a new pet name for me?"  
  
Akane didn't need to raise her glare from the ground, past the expensive shoes, the black slacks, the vibrant red shirt and fashionable blazer to the handsome, tanned face. The voice had been burned into her brain, made her knees buckle as she cursed them for it. It echoed inside her, her posture straightened, her pupils dilated and she was the spitting image of surprise.  
  
"Ranma, so you're what, a stalker now?" She spat, seething from memories of broken promises and things she'd have liked to stay forgotten.  
  
"Nice seein' you too," he coolly proclaimed, smirking as he gave her a once over, "you look . . . fine."  
  
One of the things that she hated the most and had most intrigued her about him was that smirk; that half-ass, I-know-you-want-me-and-if-you-don't-just- try-guessing-what-you're-missing smirk. Years hadn't faltered it, time hadn't taken it's toll on anything to do with Ranma, especially his maturity.  
  
"Go away," She snapped. She didn't have to remind herself to take hold of the situation, she couldn't slip, she had more important things to do, sushi for instance.  
  
"Why?" He countered, quite quickly.  
  
At a loss of words she stammered, "Because . . . you smell."  
  
He started to snicker and then fell into full fledged laughter, "Ooh! Well, you know what, I'm just gonna crawl up in that corner over there," he pointed over to something behind her on her left. He wanted her to look but she wasn't about to lose sight of him.  
  
"Please, do. You've probably left a couple fiancés in there! What, a few rats, maybe a stray cat," At this Akane turned to the corner, "here Shampoo, c'mere girl," she started to call, "Ranma's here! Oh, joy!"  
  
"You? Being sarcastic?!? Well ain't that the darnest thing! What has time done to ya? Aside from flattened you out even more than before. You're like a pancake, flat, wide and doughy," he sniggered. He noticed her face become a deep crimson and smiled wider. Suddenly she sighed and her face fell back to its original pale ivory.  
  
"Whatever Ranma. I have places to be, why is it you're here?" She asked this calmly, quietly and most importantly, sweetly. He couldn't figure out what she was up to, but knew it wasn't good.  
  
"Uhh," he stuttered, her tired expression and bored body language had thrown him off, but he had to get back in control of the situation or he might feel bad, or worse, start to remember. It was okay if she had to dig up some memories, but it just wasn't gonna happen if he had to.  
  
"Listen Ranma, this routine is old, tired, and stupid," she told him, pointing her finger in his face and then pulling away, as if too close, and laughed, "kinda like you, huh?"  
  
Ranma laughed sarcastically and then turned to walk away, "Fine then! I guess you can work on Ukyo's case alone! I mean, who would ever want the help of an officer of the government?"  
  
Akane's expression changed as she heard this, "You work for the government? As what? A cop? Then you could help!" Her eyes lit up, but she faulted and held herself from leaping into his arms just yet.  
  
"What?" Ranma asked calmly as he noticed her expression change.  
  
"What exactly is you're government paid job?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well, it's very strenuous, I get attacked quite regularly and there have been many T.V. shows about my dangerous profession," he went on, seeming to get nervous.  
  
"And that is . . . ," Akane questioned, waiting eagerly for his answer.  
  
"A mail delivery officer,' he said proudly. As Akane started to look homicidal and shrugged and said, "What? Newman was a mailman! And what about Postman Pat? Ever watch that? That guy was NO sucker! The freaks in that town were spillin' outta the mail boxes!"  
  
"Ranma, do they issue you a gun in this line of work?"  
  
"No, why?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Oh no reason," Akane muttered through gritted teeth, "just wondering."  
  
A/N: Sooo? Is it stupid or unfunny or nonsensical or what? This is my first murder/mystery so I'll need some help, okay? Also, if I did anything wrong in the fic please don't hesitate to tell me! Review or I might forget to write the next chapter! Next chapter hopefully up soon! 


End file.
